A Web For a Private Person

November 6th, 2010

Zadie Smith:

But here I fear I am becoming nostalgic. I am dreaming of a Web that caters to a kind of person who no longer exists. A private person, a person who is a mystery, to the world and—which is more important—to herself. Person as mystery: this idea of personhood is certainly changing, perhaps has already changed. Because I find I agree with Zuckerberg: selves evolve.

This is one thought in a piece about ostensibly, The Social Network, but really about what Facebook is.

What would a web, or web applications, look like that are designed to cater to a “private person, a person who is a mystery, to the world… and to herself”?